Strange Tales (1951 1st Series) comic books in grade VG or lower

Strange Tales (1951 1st Series) 101 FR/GD 1.5 (R)

Trimmed

TRIMMED. Staples added (not manufacturing). Tape with discoloration. 2" cumulative spine split.

Cover pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Dick Ayers. Human Torch solo series begins in "The Human Torch," script by Stan Lee (plot) and Larry Lieber (script), pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Dick Ayers; In his home town of Glenville, Johnny Storm investigates sabotage at an amusement park; He finds that the sabotage was aimed at a structure that blocked messages to a Communist submarine. "Skrawkcab" text story, art by John Tartaglione. "The Impossible Spaceship!", script by Stan Lee (plot) and Larry Lieber (script), art by Don Heck; An empty spaceship arrives on Earth, confusing everyone; The ship lands and stays for a time before leaving, disappointed that the humans couldnt realize that the ship itself was alive. "What Is X-35?", script by Stan Lee, art by Steve Ditko; A criminal trying to escape is repeatedly confronted with the number X-35; He is run over and killed by a car bearing the license plate number X-35. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.12.

Strange Tales (1951 1st Series) 104 GD+ 2.5 (R)

Trimmed

TRIMMED. Cover oxidation. Staples added (not manufacturing).

Cover pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Dick Ayers. First appearance of Paste-Pot Pete (later called the Trapster) in "Paste-Pot Pete!", script by Stan Lee (plot) and Larry Lieber (script), pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Dick Ayers; Human Torch stops Paste-Pot Pete from stealing an experimental missile from the military. "Venus!" text story. "Markham's Magic Crayon!", script by Stan Lee (plot) and Larry Lieber (script), art by Paul Reinman; A greedy factory owner fires a worker who claims to have made a magic crayon; He finds that the crayon really is magic, giving him the ability to draw fabulously. "The Frog-Man!", script by Stan Lee, art by Steve Ditko; An evil king is turned into a frog by a sorcerer; He hibernates for centuries hoping that the future will hold a cure, but Halloween costumes make him think that humans are now giant frogs and he goes to sleep forever. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.12.

Strange Tales (1951 1st Series) 113 GD/VG 3.0

Cover pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Don Heck. The Human Torch stars in "The Coming of the Plantman!", script by Stan Lee (plot) and Jerry Siegel [as Joe Carter] (script), art by Dick Ayers; The Human Torch saves his new girlfriend Doriss father from a disgruntled gardener who gains the ability to control plants. "New Glasses" text story. "The Search for Shanng!", script by Stan Lee (plot) and Larry Lieber (script), pencils by Larry Lieber, inks by Matt Fox; An alien crash lands on Earth, and offers knowledge to in exchange for help; Greedy humans cannot find his ship, since he sensed their selfish thoughts and hid himself until humanity is ready. "The Shoemaker's Strange Assistants!", script by Stan Lee, pencils by Steve Ditko, inks by George Roussos; A shoemaker who enjoys telling the neighborhood children stories of the little people who come out at night to help him make shoes becomes ill and goes to a loan shark to acquire money for medical treatment. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.12.

Strange Tales (1951 1st Series) 114 GD 2.0

Cover pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Dick Ayers. "The Human Torch Meets... Captain America", script by Stan Lee (co-plot, dialogue) and Jack Kirby (co-plot, uncredited), pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Dick Ayers; The Human Torch is upstaged by the return of Captain America, but the Torch realizes that it is his old enemy the Acrobat in disguise and defeats him; This is the first appearance of Captain America since the Golden Age (though it's actually the Acrobat from issue 106 disguised as the hero). "The Bridge" text story. Third appearance of Dr. Strange in "The Return of the Omnipotent Baron Mordo!", script by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko (co-plot), pencils by Steve Ditko, inks by George Roussos; Strange is lured into a trap in England by Baron Mordo, but defeats him with the help of a woman with latent magical talents; First appearance of Victoria Bentley. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.12.

Strange Tales (1951 1st Series) 115 GD 2.0

Centerfold loose at one staple. Water damage.

Cover pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Steve Ditko. Dr. Strange's 4th appearance finally provides his origin in "The Origin of Dr. Strange," script by Stan Lee (co-plot, script) and Steve Ditko (co-plot, un-credited), art by Steve Ditko; Dr. Stephen Strange, a top neurosurgeon, damages his hands in an accident and seeks out a mystic for help; He saves the seer from his treacherous student, becoming his pupil and finding a new purpose; First mentions of Dormammu and the All-Seeing Agamotto (though no actual appearances). Baron Mordo appearance. Second appearance (and brief origin) of the Sandman in "The Sandman Strikes!", script by Stan Lee (co-plot, script) and Dick Ayers (co-plot, un-credited), art by Dick Ayers; The Human Torch fights and defeats Spider-Mans old enemy Sandman. "Zero of Time" text story. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.12.

Strange Tales (1951 1st Series) 126 VG 4.0

Staple rust.

First appearance of Dormammu and Clea (named in issue 146). The Human Torch and the Thing face the Thinker and the Puppet Master in "Pawns of the Deadly Duo!" Script by Stan Lee, pencils by Dick Ayers, inks by Paul Reinman. Reed Richards and Sue Storm appearances. Doctor Strange stars in "The Domain of the Dread Dormammu!" Script by Lee, art by Steve Ditko. First letters page. Jack Kirby/Chic Stone cover. 36 pgs. Cover price $0.12.

Strange Tales (1951 1st Series) 134 GD+ 2.5

Cover pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Frank Giacoia. The Human Torch and the Thing star in "The Challenge of...The Watcher!", script by Stan Lee and Bob Powell (co-plot), pencils by Bob Powell, inks by Wally Wood; Though he is not permitted to interfere, The Watcher tells Ben & Johnny of how Kang time-travelled to the days of King Arthur, imprisoned Merlin, and took over the country; In order for the time stream to remain intact, The Watcher sends the pair back in time to defeat Kang; Cameos by Sue Storm and Reed Richards. "Earth Be My Battleground," script by Steve Ditko (plot) and Stan Lee (dialogue), art by Steve Ditko; Dr. Strange returns to earth but remains in hiding. Mordo's spirits discover Strange and pursue him; Meanwhile Clea distracts Dormammu by freeing The Mindless Ones; They attack, causing Dormammu to leave Mordo on his own. Strange flies into space and straight into the sun, the spirits fleeing and Mordo worried that it might spell his doom; Strange returns to The Ancient One, who in his weak, delirious condition, speaks of "Eternity"; Appearance by Clea. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.12.

Strange Tales (1951 1st Series) 135 VG 4.0

Cover pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Frank Giacoia. "The Man for the Job!", script by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (co-plot), pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Dick Ayers; Nick Fury reports to the Pentagon, encountering Life Model Decoys: replicas of himself; He is driven in a gadget-filled car that converts to flying mode; Fury learns about SHIELD, an international organization whose job is to stop HYDRA, fanatics bent on world domination; Fury meets Tony Stark, in charge of SHIELD's weaponry, who tells Fury he was chosen to lead SHIELD. "Eternity Beckons!", script by Steve Ditko (plot) and Stan Lee (dialogue), art by Steve Ditko; In London, seeking info on "Eternity," Dr. Strange goes to the secluded home of Sir Baskerville, a former disciple of Mordo's, who greets him as an old friend; Meanwhile, Dormammu discovers that Clea set the Mindless Ones free and swears she will pay for her betrayal; Baskerville contacts Mordo, who sends an emissary to trap Strange but it backfires, allowing Strange to discover that Dormammu is the one behind Mordo's attacks and increased power. Notes: 1st S.H.I.E.L.D., 1st Hydra, 1st Nick Fury as agent of shield, 1st appearance of LMD (Life Model Decoy). 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.12.

Strange Tales (1951 1st Series) 158 CGC 2.5 JSA Steranko

Paper: Off white

Jim Steranko authenticated autograph.

Label #4576478014

Cover pencils by Marie Severin. Nick Fury stars in "Final Encounter!", script and art by Jim Steranko; The battle between Fury & Strucker rages until Fury manages to remove his Satan glove; Minutes later, as HYDRA thugs enter the room, they discover 2 Strucker's! One of them is revealed to be wearing a mask, panics, and is incinerated in an Alpha-Particle Reactor Cube; The other orders Laura put aboard the Dyna-Soar and takes off from Hydra Island, despite the imminent detonation of The Death Spore bomb. "The Sands of Death," script by Roy Thomas and Marie Severin (co-plot), pencils by Marie Severin, inks by Herb Trimpe; The Living Tribunal decrees that because Doctor Strange has unleashed a menace to the cosmos Earth must be destroyed; Before he recites the Incantation of Oblivion he recounts events leading up to his decision, agreed upon by his 3 faces of Equity, Revenge & Necessity; Doctor Strange challenges the Tribunal to let him deal with the menace, having defeated the forces of darkness in the past. Strange is granted a reprieve for as long as it takes the Sands of Death to run out of a mystic Hourglass resting in the middle of Stonehenge; Cameos by Dormammu and Umar. Letter to the editor from comics writer Bill Mantlo. Merry Marvel Marching Society info and coupon. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.12.

Strange Tales (1951 1st Series) 165 CGC 4.0 JSA Steranko

Paper: Off white

Jim Steranko authenticated autograph.

Label #4576478017

Cover art by Jim Steranko. Nick Fury stars in "Behold the Savage Sky!", script and pencils by Jim Steranko, inks by Frank Giacoia; As The Yellow Claw is about to destroy NYC, the SHIELD Heli-Carrier arrives and a squad led by Dugan assault The Sky Dragon. Fury breaks loose and defeats Von Voltzmann while several agents corner The Claw, but he lays them out using Hyper-Psionic Brain Emanations; His nervous system drained, The Claws unleashes a squad of robot replicas of himself to cover his escape; Fury catches up with the real Claw using a Magnetic Pelfrag Shooter to weigh him down but the pellets disintegrate. "The Mystic and the Machine!", script by Jim Lawrence and Dan Adkins (co-plot), art by Dan Adkins; Strange continues thru the underground tunnel until he comes to a large set of doors; Upon getting them open, he finds a "Disintegrator" ray is waiting for him; After he takes it out with the "Flames of Faltine," Yandroth realizes his magic is more "potent" than he "calculated", and uses an "Ultra-Spectrum Laser" to incinerate Strange's brain! 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.12.

Strange Tales (1951 1st Series) 167 CGC 4.0 JSA Steranko

Paper: Cream to off white

Jim Steranko authenticated autograph.

Label #4576478019

Cover art by Jim Steranko. Nick Fury stars in "Armageddon!", script and pencils by Jim Steranko, inks by Joe Sinnott; While Jimmy Woo cradles the body of Suwan in his arms a SHIELD Suicide Squad bursts in via The Dreadnought, a colossal tunneling machine; The Claw vanishes but Fury uses a Pseudo-Elliptoid Wrist Tracer to find him, but arrives just as the villain escapes into the Space-Time Continuum in an Infinity Sphere; Fury finds a Prototype Warp-Vest and follows The Yellow Claw as they have a psychic duel. "This Dream—This Doom!", script by Dennis O'Neil and Dan Adkins (co-plot), art by Dan Adkins; The Ancient One is alive and tells Strange he made Zom believe he was dead so he could pass on his powers to his disciple; With the Cosmic Balance restored he was able to shatter the spell that bound him; In his Himalayan retreat Strange and the Ancient One discover that Victoria Bentley is a prisoner in the Dimension of Dreams; Using a mystic gem and with his mentor to mentally guide him Strange travels to Victoria. Ad for Not Brand Echh and Daredevil. Statement of ownership--average print run 428.603; average paid circulation 241,561. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.12.

Strange Tales (1951 1st Series) 179 VG 4.0

Cover art by Jim Starlin. "Death Ship!", script and art by Jim Starlin; Warlock is captured by Autolycus of the Black Knights an brought aboard Magus' Flagship; His fellow prisoners tell Warlock, that survivors of the Wars of the Church are taken as slave laborers, those who refuse will be terminated and their remains will be chemically broken down and valuable elements that can be retrieved will be used to further the cause of the Church; They also tell him, that Non-Humanoids are not considered fashioned in the Magus' image and thus must be disposed of, this also holds true for some Humanoid types—such as Trolls; First appearance of Pip the Troll. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.25.

Strange Tales (1951 1st Series) 181 VG 4.0

Cover pencils by Jim Starlin, inks by Alan Weiss. "1000 Clowns!", script and pencils by Jim Starlin, inks by Al Milgrom; Warlock finds himself in a strange place and considers, that this is just an illusion but decides, that he is in a Reality unlike any he has ever seen before, the Head Clown states, that Warlock has always been in this Reality, he has just never seen it in quite this manner before and calls it the "Land of the Way it was"; A Technician states that something is wrong with visual and audio programming; The Clowns are trying to reprogram Warlock and Beautiful Jan paints a Clown's Mask on Warlock's Face because all the dark aspects have to go; Gamora and Pip the Troll are on their way to rescue Warlock and interrogate one of the Black Knights, and he is scared to death by Gamora; Len takes Warlock to a Renegade Clown who is being punished. Hulk comic book ad. The story continues in Warlock 9. Captain Marvel stars in a one-page Hostess ad, "The Big Bang!" 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.25.